Here's the press release of senior SAARC health professionals' Coronavirus videoconference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi h anunced at Video Conference of SAARC Leers on 15 March 2020 that health professionals of all SAARC member states could hold a video conference to carry forward collaboration in common fight against COVID-19 at practical level.

As implementation of that anuncement, a video conference of health professionals representing all SAARC countries at level of Director General of Health Services (DGHS) was held on 26 March 2020. At this conference chaired by DGHS of India, a wide range of issues relating to COVID-19 were discussed extensively with active and purposeful participation of all sides.

On India’s part, a comprehensive presentation was me on India’s response, covering aspects of disease surveillance, contact tracing, travel restrictions and evacuation, risk assessment, diagstics, isolation and quarantine methods and facilities, clinical manment of patients, treatment options and protocols and safety of healthcare providers. Likewise, all or SAARC countries shared ir own experiences of dealing with COVID-19 challenge in ir respective settings. All countries also highlighted ir specific vulnerabilities, capacities, best practices, gaps in resources and logistics, private sector participation as well as levels of preparedness. Community engment and participation was identified as an important element in any anti-COVID-19 strategy to augment large scale emergency measures undertaken by governments in SAARC region.  

India proposed a shared electronic platform for all SAARC nations to share and exchange information, kwledge, expertise and best practices for jointly combating coronavirus epidemic. It was informed that considerable work has alrey gone into creation of platform, which could also serve as a multipurpose vehicle to furr discuss and conduct activities such as online training for emergency response personnel, kwledge partnerships, sharing of expertise in disease surveillance, including corresponding software, and joint research for new diagstic and rapeutic interventions for epidemic diseases. Indian side proposed that till such time electronic platform is fully operational, a network of experts representing Health Services of all SAARC countries may set up on email/WhatsApp to enable exchange of all relevant information between SAARC countries on a real-time basis.

enthusiastic and constructive participation by all SAARC member states demonstrated shared commitment to work toger to defeat challenge posed by coronavirus epidemic in region.